The Wizard of Fairy Tale World
Chapter 106: The Queen’s Long-Term Worries

Chapter 106: The Queen’s Long-Term Worries

“Mom, what are you doing?”

The Queen, who was in the middle of poisoning an apple, was startled by her daughter’s sudden voice.

Standing behind her was the innocent-looking Snow White. The child was only seven years old—an age far too young to understand the world.

Gazing at her daughter’s snow-white skin and jet-black hair, the Queen couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"Thankfully, the one more beautiful than me isn’t you. Otherwise, you’d already be dead."

“It’s nothing, my dear girl. Go play somewhere else.” The Queen gently shooed her daughter away.

She might not be as skilled as the other members of the Coven, but the Queen was still a witch who dabbled in black magic. Before long, after using some rare materials and her stockpile of poisons, she successfully crafted three deadly items.

The first was a beautiful ribbon enchanted with black magic that would tighten around the wearer’s neck until they suffocated.

The second was a comb laced with lethal poison.

And the third—a whole basket of poisoned apples.

The Queen even devised a cunning trick. She applied poison only to the exposed side of each apple, leaving the hidden side untouched.

That way, if Aurora suspected something was amiss, the Queen could take a bite from the untainted side to deceive her into eating the poisoned half.

This deadly toxin was so potent it could knock out an elephant!

“Hahaha! The apples on the outside are poisoned, while the ones facing inward are not. I must remember this—I can’t afford to mix them up.”

The Queen stepped out of the room to use the restroom, mentally reminding herself as she walked.

“Mom, these apples look so plump!”

Upon returning to her chamber, the Queen was horrified to see young Snow White curiously poking at the apples in the basket with her tiny fingers.

“Ahh! Wait—don’t touch those apples!”

The Queen panicked and immediately grabbed Snow White’s hand.

“I was only gone for a moment, and you sneaked into my room again? You didn’t eat any of those apples, did you?” she hurriedly asked.

“No,” Snow White replied obediently.

“Phew…”

The Queen let out a long breath, feeling relieved.

Thank goodness. Luckily, Snow White hadn’t eaten the poisoned apples.

Wait. Why am I so worried about Snow White? She’s not even my real daughter!

Realization suddenly struck her.

Hmph. I wasn’t worried about her.

I was just concerned that if my ‘daughter’ were to suddenly drop dead from eating an apple in my room, I wouldn’t be able to explain it away. That old king might suspect me and break free from my enchantment! ṙÃNỘβË𐌔

Her thoughts spun wildly.

She had to admit that after discovering the one destined to surpass her beauty wasn’t Snow White, the resentment, wariness, and jealousy she had harbored toward the girl for years had long since faded.

Now, their relationship wasn’t much different from that of an ordinary stepmother and daughter.

Speaking of which… once I kill Aurora, will there come a day when Snow White surpasses my beauty too?

After sending Snow White away, the Queen couldn’t help but wonder.

If that day ever came, she would have no choice but to kill her as well.

And after that… what then?

Her thoughts drifted into the void.

She could never be the fairest in the kingdom forever.

Even if she slaughtered every beautiful woman in the land, the day would come when she would grow old, and time would carve wrinkles into her once flawless face.

When that happened, the magic that kept the King enchanted would undoubtedly break.

On that day, she would have to face the King—who would no longer be infatuated with her—as well as the ruined kingdom and the enraged citizens, victims of years of neglect.

And then there was the Coven.

If she could no longer control the kingdom, would they cast her out?

Would those wicked yet immensely powerful witches kill her for knowing too many of their secrets?

Ugh, enough! No point thinking so far ahead!

First, I must kill Aurora. That’s the priority right now!

Shaking her head to clear her mind, the Queen set off, leaving the palace behind.

She cast her signature transformation spell, disguising herself as an old woman. Then, mounting a flying broomstick, she soared over hills, rivers, and forests, heading toward the home of the Seven Dwarfs.

Not long after the Queen departed, the palace welcomed an unusual visitor—an old woman dressed as a witch, wearing silver shoes.

“Snow White, do you know where your mother is?”

The strange witch crouched down, peering at the innocent Snow White. Her face was deeply wrinkled, yet her sharp gaze made her look terrifying.

Snow White was taken aback.

This “auntie” had appeared out of nowhere—right inside the palace!

How had she entered so effortlessly, completely unchallenged?

Shaking her head, Snow White answered, “I don’t know. Mom left early this morning and didn’t say where she was going.”

“Tch. How annoying.”

The old witch furrowed her brows and shot Snow White a glare. “If your mother returns, tell her the Slave Master came looking for her.”

With that, the witch—who was from the Coven—strode off.

She made her way to the Queen’s chamber, where she spotted a magnificent full-length mirror—the Queen’s enchanted Magic Mirror.

“Oh, Magic Mirror, tell me—what’s been happening between the Western Asia Kingdom, Enderland, and the merfolk in the sea?”

“Hold on a moment,” the Magic Mirror replied. “I am a loyal mirror. My one and only, my eternal, my great master is none other than the noble Queen of White Kingdom! I will not answer anyone else’s questions.”

“Damn you, mirror.”

The witch from the Coven was furious.

She cursed inwardly:

Hmph. Your so-called ‘great master’ is nothing more than a half-baked witch. If not for this all-knowing mirror, she would have never been allowed in the Coven!

If only this wretched mirror didn’t recognize just one owner, I would’ve killed that Queen long ago and taken the mirror for myself!

The mirror added smugly, “Besides, even if you ask, I can’t answer. I only respond when my dear master asks me a question. Otherwise, I am just a regular mirror and cannot probe for information on my own.”

The witch known as Slave Master clenched her fists in frustration but suppressed her rage. She knew she might still need this mirror in the future.

“Fine. I’ll just wait here until the Queen returns. She’s the only one who can use this damn mirror.”

At the Seven Dwarfs’ house…

Aurora clapped her hands, and instantly, the broom began sweeping the floor on its own. The rag wiped the table without assistance, and even the dishes from their meal started washing themselves.

“Wow, what amazing magic!” ×7

The Seven Dwarfs exclaimed in unison.

The moment the words left their mouths, they turned to each other in frustration:

“Why are you copying me?!” ×7

Aurora chuckled, clearly pleased with their reaction. She looked incredibly proud of herself.

The spell she had just performed was something she had learned from the Twelve Good Witches of the Rose Kingdom.

Though magic wasn’t her true talent, she had picked up a few simple tricks. They weren’t useful in combat, but lighting a lamp or handling chores? That, she could manage just fine.

Unfortunately, during her travels, she was always accompanied by Rhine, an exceptionally skilled magician. Because of that, she never had the chance to show off her little spells. Now that she finally could, she felt deeply satisfied.

“Thank you for cleaning up our house. You really are an amazing and kind-hearted child! We’re off to the mines now—see you later.”

The Seven Dwarfs bid farewell to Rhine and Aurora before heading up the mountain to mine.

Before leaving, they issued a warning:

“Oh, and be careful of the Queen. We don’t know why you’ve angered her, but everyone says the Queen of White Kingdom is a strange, temperamental, and obsessive woman. If she sent a huntsman after you once and failed, she definitely won’t let you off so easily.”

Rhine gave a slight nod, watching as the Seven Dwarfs disappeared into the forest.

He already had a theory as to why the Queen had targeted Aurora.

Pulling out his crystal ball, he asked in a soft voice, “Did the Queen send the huntsman to kill Aurora because Aurora is more beautiful than her?”

A brilliant blue glow emanated from the crystal—confirming the answer.

“As expected.”

Rhine shrugged.

Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.

From the looks of it, their unexpected arrival in White Kingdom had somehow caused Aurora to take Snow White’s place in the story.

And it seemed the Queen was unaware that they were merely passing through and had no intention of staying. After all, cross-country travelers like them were rare in this land.

“Should we just leave White Kingdom? But if we do, the fairest one of all will become Snow White.”

“With her failed attempt to assassinate Aurora, the Queen will be even more cautious next time. Snow White probably won’t be as lucky as in the original story—she might not escape her stepmother’s poison this time.”

“And then there’s the huntsman, Angus. He failed his mission. The Queen likely won’t forgive him. Before leaving White Kingdom, I was planning to meet his beloved fiancée…”

Rhine wasn’t the type to ignore trouble. If he hadn’t been involved, he wouldn’t have cared. But now that the Queen had already tried to kill them once, there was no way he was leaving without settling things.

“Besides, I’d like to take a look at that Magic Mirror and ask it a question or two.”

“Is there a way to give this story an entirely new, happy ending?”

The silver-haired young magician gazed out the window at the vast blue sky, lost in thought. A small smirk played at his lips as an interesting idea formed in his mind.

Just then, an old woman—who was, of course, the Queen in disguise—arrived at the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage.

“Selling trinkets! Selling trinkets!” the Queen, disguised as an old woman, called out.

With just one glance, Rhine immediately knew who she was.

“So, you’re back again. You really don’t give up, do you?” he muttered, feeling a bit exasperated.

I mean, seriously? In the middle of nowhere, and you’re dressed as a traveling merchant? Who would even believe that?

“How strange! Someone selling things all the way out here in the forest? Granny, what are you selling?” Aurora leaned out the window and asked.

The disguised Queen called out again:

“I sell all kinds of beautiful things! Pretty ribbons in all colors, lovely combs, and big, juicy apples.”

Before Aurora could respond, the Queen quickly handed over a gorgeous ribbon and an elegant comb.

“Try them on! Put this lovely ribbon around your neck and comb your hair with this beautiful comb.”

A girl her age should be interested in pretty accessories, right? Surely, she’d want to try them on!

The Queen could already imagine it—this golden-haired little girl curiously accepting her gifts, tying the ribbon around her neck and suffocating to death, or brushing her hair and succumbing to the poison.

But instead—

“Granny, sorry, but I’m not interested in buying anything.”

Aurora’s voice was cold as she shut the window with a loud snap.

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